AFTER THE FLOODS struck me as both whimsical and deep; I guess it kept me off-balance. I'm not a fan of magic realism, so it took me awhile to get into this story, which seems to contrast "good" and "evil" in several ways. The gifts of birds and time-warping in Cold Beak appealed to the childish side of my personality, while my adult side recognized their symbolism. My final analysis is that this was a thought-provoking book requiring serious study. ( )

After the Floods takes place shortly after Hurricane Katrina, after the flood waters had mostly receded from New Orleans leaving the living to cobble together their destroyed lives. The flood has not only left destruction in its wake, but a weird twist of the world where birds and dogs are able to talk.

The opening pages are narrated (literally) from a crow’s eye view as Ruby and George Corvus survey the damaged neighborhoods. The novel veers away from New Orleans eventually, and takes the reader to Cold Beak, Minnesota - a fictional town which has also found itself recovering from a flood. It is here in Minnesota where the majority of the story takes place - revealing the odd and eccentric characters who reside in this small town. Two brothers open a restaurant, an obese woman becomes famous with her striptease act meant to educate and motivate people about weight loss, a bizarre family cult acts out violently, and birds from all over the world flock to the area. In a matter of three weeks a decade’s worth of time is compressed and the town grows economically and spiritually. After the Floods gathers together a wide array of characters who pass in and out of each others lives, seeking recovery alongside a river which nourishes them and reminds them of their vulnerability.

In Henricksen’s fictional world, magic is allowed to become reality while various characters (including an omniscient ex-mayor and a young man who questions God through a series of emails) provide insight into such things as religion, social justice, war and death.

Henricksen’s writing is at turns sad, humorous and meditative. If there is a weakness in his prose it is that he never fully develops each character before moving on to the next. I will admit that magical realism is not the genre I typcially read and enjoy - so it is to Henricksen’s credit that I felt engaged in the novel from the start. After the Floods is comedic and spiritual, hopeful and despairing - it does not offer answers, but instead frames questions about life, death, faith and how our lives interconnect with others.

Readers who enjoy well-written magical realism will undoubtedly love this novel. Charming and memorable, it will make you look at the world around you just a little bit differently. ( )

Of the dozen or so Librarything Early Reviewer books I have received, this is the first I would have been pleased to have found, bought and read on my own. A series of connected short stories, really, this book begins at post-Katrina New Orleans and works its way to Cold Beak, Minnesota. The stories are quirky, sad, funny, charming, and there is an element of earth magic with animals that can think and talk (for now) ever since the floods, and a town where a decade's worth of time, energy and motion have become compressed into a season. The characters are original, some are quite affecting, and the writing has an effortless grace that is layered with frequent lovely phrasings that make me go back and read the passage to savor the pleasure of it. Some of it reminds me of Garisson Keillor's stories, except that this guy's a better writer. ( )

After the Floods can be read on at least a couple levels. On one level, it’s an engaging story about some folks living their lives after floods in their hometowns, in New Orleans and in the fictional small town of Cold Beak, Minnesota. It is told from several points of view, including an omniscient narrator who can hear crows and dogs talk; an ex-Mayor and town historian of Cold Beak; and one of the main characters, Billy Boichild, whose narration is in the form of emails to God and Sister Ann, a religious radio personality. The first time I read it, I was aware that the narrations wove in and out of each other, that scenes in one narration were also mentioned in scenes from another narration. In the ex-mayor’s narrative, a crow drops a rose on a grave. In the omniscient storyteller’s narrative, we see the crow dropping the rose and we understand why she does this. It was fun to notice the times the scenes converged among the narratives.

I also noticed that there was another intriguing level to the novel. The theme of religion, or belief, is laced throughout the stories. Billy Boichild brings with him some peculiar beliefs to Cold Beak from New Orleans that he keeps to himself (except in his emails to God and Sister Ann), there is a nefarious cult outside of Cold Beak that plays a role in the novel, and another main character is atheist.

The novel itself is classified as magical realism. Time goes nuts in Cold Beak, birds from all parts of the world show up in Minnesota, and the crows and dogs can talk, but their voices are only heard in the narration of the omniscient storyteller. It’s made clear that the animals’ abilities to speak only appeared after the flood in New Orleans, and that it was only a temporary ability.

I have never lived through a flood or other major disaster, nor have I had the kinds of losses that characters in this novel have endured. I imagine that one of the ways people get through profound losses is by using magical thinking, whether consciously or not. After the Floods illustrates this magical thinking in an enchanting story. It’s a story to be read several times to uncover the layers. ( )

After the Floods is the story of two towns and the experience of recovery after a flood. The story begins in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The picture the author paints of post-Katrina New Orleans is bleak, with people eking out a life among the wreckage and dogs and crows who can talk and who reap the benefits of the dead surrounding them.

The story moves to the fictional town of Cold Beak, MN, which is recovering from its own flood. In contrast to New Orleans, however, the town is transformed for the better by the post-flood activities, largely due to the influence of Birdie May, a local large woman who decides she will perform a stage show at the new local restaurant and lounge. As the new restaurant/lounge is being built, time speeds up. Before the townspeople realize it, the sleepy little town of Cold Beak has become revitalized, with new people and new businesses sprouting up everywhere.

An overall enjoyable read, I felt that the New Orleans parts were almost superfluous to the main story of Cold Beak. I also wanted more character development. ( )